This Woman Had Her Maternity Shoot During The Eclipse And The Results Are Unforgettable

And you didn't think the eclipse could get any more beautiful.

When most people were busy planning how they would get a good look at the eclipse, Nichole Carver was planning something more ambitious — an utterly unforgettable maternity shoot.

Lisa Cruikshank / Via stillpearlphotography.com

Carver’s idea — to have the shoot during the US’s first total eclipse in nearly 100 years — was an especially good one considering she lived in Georgia where there would be 99.1% totality (i.e., the sun would be almost entirely covered).

Getting the perfect shot wouldn't be easy, though. The sun would be (almost) totally eclipsed for only a minute or two, and they'd need to take precautions to avoid eye damage.

Lisa Cruikshank / Via stillpearlphotography.com

"I pitched the idea to my mother-in-law, Lisa Cruikshank of Still Pearl Photography, on the Friday before the eclipse," Carver told BuzzFeed.

Lisa Cruikshank / Via stillpearlphotography.com

Having a mother-in-law who is a professional photographer took a lot of pressure off. "Since she is my mother-in-law, we knew there would be many more opportunities for a different kind of shoot if this one didn't work out," Carver said.

Well, did it work out? I'd say that's a big "YES."

Lisa Cruikshank / Via stillpearlphotography.com

Getting this incredible shot took a little luck. “It was hard trying to hold my eclipse glasses over the lens,” Cruikshank told BuzzFeed, “but I closed my eyes and held the shutter down for about 20 frames and got lucky one was in focus.”

Also, because of the timing, the sun was too high in the sky to get Carver and the eclipse in one frame, so Cruikshank took two photos — one of her daughter-in-law and one of the eclipse — and merged them together.

The reaction to the shoot, as you can imagine, has been overwhelmingly positive.

Lisa Cruikshank / Via stillpearlphotography.com

"We never in a million years expected the idea or photo to take off like it has," Carver said.

Lisa Cruikshank / Via stillpearlphotography.com

"It is a piece of art, and it took a lot of work to get the photo in just a few short seconds. In my opinion, she (Cruikshank) hung the moon with this photo."